The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) launched the report of its first ‘Road Map for Mainstreaming Ageing’, a project to help guide Armenia in devising policies relating to ageing and older people.

The Government of Armenia has formally adopted the recommendations as a part of their National Strategy and Action Plan on Ageing.

The organization noted that 11% of Armenia’s 3.1 million inhabitants are aged 65 years or older, and this share is projected to reach 18% by 2030.

A significant factor that has quickened the pace of change is the massive emigration of young people: around two thirds of Armenians live outside of the country and in the period 2005-2010 net migration out of the country totaled 15,000 people (about 0.5 per cent of the total population) each year.

UNECE and the Government of Armenia have developed the Road Map for Mainstreaming Ageing to help ensure that these growing numbers of older people are integrated into Armenian society, economically, socially and culturally, their needs are met, their potential fulfilled and their contributions recognized.